Equality and Equity
Equality and Equity
By Wade Lee Hudson
Individuals have different skills, characteristics, and preferences. But everyone holds equal value as a human being and deserves to be treated with respect. Humanity’s common dignity is inherent and can’t be measured. Human rights are universal and can’t be taken away. All humans are entitled to a decent standard of living and the freedom to maximize their potential and pursue a rewarding life.
Most social-change activists believe in these principles. But they contradict themselves when they don’t respect those who disagree with them, don’t try to understand their opponents, and don’t affirm their basic humanity. Overcoming this inconsistency will enhance prospects for transforming this nation into a compassionate community.
Heartland Americans resent being disrespected by coastal elites (including the wealthy who buy elections and bribe politicians, global corporations that avoid paying taxes or move to other countries, upwardly mobile professionals who look down their nose at ordinary Americans, big-city officials who neglect rural areas and small towns, prestigious University professors, and the mainstream media). This resentment breeds explosive anger.
Rather than empathize with this anti-elite anger and help channel it to support democratic, structural reforms that would limit the power of these elites, compassion-minded activists often scapegoat. They place total blame on one “enemy” or another — whether it be the President, the other political party, some other group, or a particular administrator. This excessive focus on symptoms diverts attention away from deeper problems.
Activists, myself included, often assume an air of moral superiority and demonize our opponents. We believe we have the answer and fail to really listen. We try to persuade those who disagree, or we dismiss them. We don’t place ourselves in the others’ shoes (as much as we can). Being judgmental blocks understanding and builds barriers. This arrogant approach undermines the potential for building alliances based on respect for human equality. In these ways, we drive away possible allies and reduce the potential size and power of our community. And we need every soul we can get.
Those who reject established rigid hierarchies often propose alternative rigid hierarchies. They reject ranking people based on money and then rank people based on their values. And they object to how Congress and the President exercise power and merely want to replace them (rather than restructure the government). Their enormous ambitions induce an intense, competitive fear of “failing” and “disgrace” — as do the dominant notions of high status. This hyper-competition for respect weakens self-confidence and undermines individual and collective empowerment.
The desire to be competent is natural, as are the desires to be acknowledged for what one has accomplished and to advance, be promoted, or earn more money. But these goals can be secondary, not primary. They can be a means to an end, not the end itself. They’re like icing on the cake, not the cake. What others think about you is external, not internal. Their opinions need not determine what you think about yourself. They need not touch you at your core. Mature adults don’t have to prove anything to anyone. Climbing one status ladder or another can be well and good if you don’t distort its importance or let it lead you to forget everyone’s essential equal worth and seek to dominate those you consider inferior.
We who seek to help transform this nation must be less judgmental and more respectful. We must seek to better understand those who disagree on some issues — and agree on others. We need to remember that all men and women are created equal in the eyes of God. I can live the way I want you to live, and respect your right to do the same. I can remember that I could easily have ended up in your shoes, that all people are still basically human, that most people just want to do good and cope as best they can under the circumstances. I can accept that no one can be my carbon copy. To nurture systemic, holistic, democratic transformation, every individual must cultivate respect for everyone’s essential equality and avoid judgmental assumptions of moral superiority. Jesus was right: Love your enemies.
To cultivate and practice equal respect, we need to engage in honest self-examination and support each other in our efforts to steadily undo our elitist conditioning. This requires vulnerability, which can be painful. So we tend to avoid it. As James Baldwin said, “A day will come when you will trust you more than you do now and you will trust me more than you do now. And we can trust each other…. I really do believe that we can all become better than we are. I know we can. But the price is enormous and people are not yet willing to pay.”
This approach need not involve thinking that you can always appease your opponents or always reconcile all sides. Some issues — like the death penalty and whether abortion is always illegal — are either/or. And sometimes the opponent is totally closed to compromise and must simply be defeated. But you can still be fair and judicious. You can still respect your opponent’s humanity, appeal to their higher angels, and leave the door open to reconciliation if they have a change of heart and become willing to seek a compromise.
This dedication to human equality is a basic starting point for compassion-centered transformation.